Speakers for Naim Superuniti

Stevee_W

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A long time voyeur but first time poster, I would be grateful for some clues for a speaker upgrade . Next week a Naim Superuniti 80W/channel arrives to replace my Naimuniti 50W/channel. The 'uniti is a great bit of kit which I am thoroughly enjoying, in fact I love it to bits, but I wanted even more from it without adding a Naim amp', so the Superuniti seems like a good one box solution for my needs... no faffage and I am now totally into streaming on this system.

The Naimuniti at the moment has PMC DBIi's (great combination I think), subwoofer, NACA5 cabling and Russ Andrews Reference Powerchord. Now I know, quite rightly, that I should audition before buying I have done before and I will for this speaker upgrade but I would really appreciate some pointers as to what speakers might go with the new Superuniti so I that I can make up a shortlist for the new year auditions. My budget is up to c.£3k but could stretch to £5k for something truly exceptional for the S/Uniti.

My music tastes are eclectic but exclude jazz and is biased toward rock, metal and classical with everything in between and now Hi-Res streaming. Room placement is difficult in that speakers will have to be close to a rear wall (less than 30 cms) and the same with one sidewall. Listening room size is just 4m x 4m standard ceiling. I am not fussed as to standmount or floor standing speakers but I feel standmounts would be preferable for the room setting and size.

Looking forward to getting any of your speaker upgrade thoughts but if not a Happy Christmas and New Year to you all and many thanks to Whathifi for a great magazine and this forum on which to share and compare.
 
Hi Stevee_W

I'll recommend ATC's SCM19 monitors. SCM19 monitors with their close boxed design and importantly flat and honest presentation enable SCM19's to be easily placed closed to walls/tight spaces. I've used the SuperUniti with SCM19's and i find the SuperUniti works a treat with SCM19 monitors :rockout: Fwiw, i feel SCM19 monitors are probably the finest VFM bookshelf speakers currently available on the market regardless of price :)

Btw, what sub woofer are you using and will you also use the sub with the SuperUniti and the new speakers?

Merry Christmas

Rick @ Musicraft
 
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Anonymous

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Hows about the Naim Ovator 400's. Cracking review in this months issue and I heard some recently and I have to say they sounded superb (they used them with the Uniti and some Hi Res music)
 

altruistic.lemon

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Based on what I've heard fairly recently, I'd say:

Magnepan - you must have space, limited dealership, not really heavy metal friendly

Martin Logan - same comment as above, but fabulous speakers

Harbeth - the larger ones are pretty ugly, but bass is better than the smaller ones

Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor - still find them a touch warm, good if you like jazz and classical

Neat - go well with Naim, but not quite to my taste

PMC - heard the basic model. For me the treble is a touch hard, but others like it

Wilson Benesch - liked them, but generally bit too forward for me - meant to give them another listen but bought the maggies instead
 

noogle

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I'd say Ovator 400s - a few pairs have appeared on a major auction site recently. Might be a tad imposing in your room though. Perhaps keep your current speakers and wait for the expected Ovator 200s?
 

Sospri

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Have you considered the Spendor SA1s, I use these with my Supernait which is pretty much the same amp as the Superuniti and can be placed close to the wall.

I think these are fabulous speakers as I listen to a lot of classical and the treble is fantastic especially with strings and I cannot see me changing mine with my present set up......
 

audiokid

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If you like detail and warmth, below your budget but I would recommend Proac d2 or d18. If you like realism and long term enjoyment, i would recommend Harbeth - C7 or Monitor 30. I use a Supernait / Hicap with Harbeth Monitor 30 in a room of 4x4m and after a long, meandering series of auditions, the Harbeths were the best.
 

Stevee_W

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Hi Rick,

Thanks for your suggestion of the SCM19 monitors. I must admit that I had overlooked them.

My sub with PMC DBIi is a BK electronics XLS200 - DF. I am not sure if I will be using the sub with the new Superuniti long term but in the short term I guess I will until the PMCs are replaced and moved elsewhere. So, I guess using a sub could well depend upon which speakers I end up with in the new year....
 

Stevee_W

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Many thanks to all the thoughtful replies to date there is certainly food for thought and for the list. In addition to all your recommendations above I have been wondering if the new PMC Twenty series might be another option the 22s or 24s?

I am based in Scotland and am equidistant from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen all are a round trip of 150 miles so arranging auditions for different speaker makers is a bit of an expedition and can be difficult to arrange at times.
 

tyranniux42

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As a few others here have posted I can wholeheartedly recommend the Ovator S-400's especially seeing as you like to rock ;-)

my nait XS has no problem driving them so the superuniti shouldnt struggle, also my room is approx 3x4 so can say with some confidence that they work in a smaller room. Have a listen and see what you think if you can manage to audition a pair.

kind regards
 

John Duncan

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Personally I think you could stick with the PMCs; they'll like the extra power and you may find you don't need a different speaker. If you did have a yearning for a bt more depth, I'd go up the PMC range than sideways into alternative brands, since you already like the pairing.
 

Frank Harvey

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Agreed. Enjoy the extra the DB1i's will be giving you thanks to the SuperUniti. Let that bed in and see how you feel when (and if) novelty wears off. If it doesn't, great! If it does, then think of a speaker upgrade.

As I've always said, a good quality speaker will always improve with better amplification.
 

Bodfish

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Listen to the fact8 and fact3. The 8 is pretty room tolerant. Harbeth would be another but chose the model based on the size of your room and not your budget...in fact (sorry) the P3ESR might be all you need if you value bass pitch accuracy and speed over depth.
 

Stevee_W

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tyranniux42 - The Ovator S - 400s are now firmly on the audition list as a possibility if I can find somewhere reasonable handy to get a listen

John and David - Many thanks for the advice, this is indeed something I have thought about and will be doing. I can hardly wait for the S/uniti to arrive next week (Thursday) and hear the difference the extra power may make to the DB1i's. I am in no rush to change for the sake of it and do want to hear the difference that the S/uniti will make before making any changes. The free time over the Chrimbo period will be great to make assessments.

Bodfish - How are you getting on with the Fact.8 and your Naimuniti, are you using any additional power for the 'uniti or are they coping fine with the 50W? I must admit to being tempted by the Fact series certainly looks wise they would pass the WAF test and the 8 is getting good reviews. I think it was WHF that liked the Fact 8s but were cooler about the Fact3s.
 

Bodfish

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Stevee_W said:
Bodfish - How are you getting on with the Fact.8 and your Naimuniti, are you using any additional power for the 'uniti or are they coping fine with the 50W? I must admit to being tempted by the Fact series certainly looks wise they would pass the WAF test and the 8 is getting good reviews. I think it was WHF that liked the Fact 8s but were cooler about the Fact3s.

No problems at all as far as I'm concerned. No additional amplification being used or needed from my point of view. From what I've read and from my dealers point of view, the fact series are a more benign load than the FB/GB/OB ranges.
 

6th.replicant

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Paul Hobbs said:
I've heared good things about Naim stuff and Totem Forests, anyone tried this combo? It's above your 3k budget but you could look second hand?

Aye, my brother has a new UnitiQute and we recently hooked it up to my Forests - blimey, I didn't realise Qute had such decent oomph - cos Qute dealer (Audio T) suggested Naim/Totem combo.

FWIW, he's now v keen on Naim + Totem (sounded OK to me but Naim not my cuppa char). Pair of Forests on fleabay at the mo but too pricey, so he's going for Totem Arros. 8)
 

Singslinger

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I agree with John Duncan and Frank that you should stick with the PMC DB1i for the time being.

I went from the Uniti to a Supernait/NDX combo and retained the PMCs because I found the speakers good enough to accomodate such a big upgrade. Since the SuperUniti is based on the Supernait, I think you might arrive at the same conclusion.

It's at least worth a try...and if you're still keen on changing speakers after that, my recommendation would be the ProAc D18.

Cheers!
 
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Anonymous

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First post from me so big hello to everyone.

Im just about to say goodbye to my Linn set up and auditioned a Superuniti at the Sound Organisation in York a few days ago. It was paired with a pair of B&W PM1 speakers and I found the sound captivating.

The PM1s are very agile, bringing instruments to life and I loved the combo. So much so that I made the immediate decision to sell my XT4s and buy PM1s. Luckily I have a PV1 sub which will handle the low-down-grunt that the PM1s might fail to deliver.

Even without the PV1 they still sounded fabulous and they may be a neat solution for your space issue too. I'd heartily recommend you give them a listen in tandem with the Naim.

Cheers

Gary
 

Paulq

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I intend to audition the DB1i's soon. Do they need a sub? I currently have a Linn Classik/Majik 2100 setup with B&W 685's and whilst I like their sound I would like to upgrade the speakers.
 

CnoEvil

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gary_aniseed said:
First post from me so big hello to everyone.

Im just about to say goodbye to my Linn set up and auditioned a Superuniti at the Sound Organisation in York a few days ago. It was paired with a pair of B&W PM1 speakers and I found the sound captivating.

The PM1s are very agile, bringing instruments to life and I loved the combo. So much so that I made the immediate decision to sell my XT4s and buy PM1s. Luckily I have a PV1 sub which will handle the low-down-grunt that the PM1s might fail to deliver.

Even without the PV1 they still sounded fabulous and they may be a neat solution for your space issue too. I'd heartily recommend you give them a listen in tandem with the Naim.

Cheers

Gary

Hi Gary and welcome.

I have the Linn Kairn with the LK100 so know how capable they are, in fact I prefer them to the current Linn amps. Have you tried the PM1s with the Linn?
 
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Anonymous

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Hi Steeve

Am in the same position as you, almost that is. Want the superunity and also looking around for speakers.

As a matter of fact i will "audit" this week:

PMC 1b

Ovator 400

Monitor Aaudio 200GX (gold)

and may be if avalable the MA 300GX

Will keep u posted if u like

Frits (NL)
 

Stevee_W

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Hi gary and welcome.

Thanks for your comments, in fact the B&W PM1s are another speaker I have added to my shortlist along with the recentley (WHF) reviewed AE Reference 1's. For the time being though I am really enjoying the difference the Superuniti has made to my DB1i s without, as yet, the use my sub. I am not saying the DB1i s are keepers for this system I may move them to another one but for now I am thoroughly enjoying them. Next year however I will just have to audition some other standmounts to satisfy my curiosity...
 

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